I was stripped of my title too! Chaos reigns as now Miss Derry loses her crown and self-tan contract

Katie McAuley’s eyes welled up with tears of delight when she was announced the winner. She was draped in a sash with the words Miss Vita Liberata, covering her Miss Derry title, and presented with a massive bouquet of roses.

It wasn’t quite the Miss Ireland title but it came with its own lucrative contract with Vita Liberata tan products, the sponsors of the beauty pageant.

But this week, Katie shed tears again. For on the same day that Máire Hughes found out that her Miss Ireland crown was being taken from her because she was ‘too old’, Miss Derry too discovered she had been stripped of her title and her contract.

And instead of being called by organisers to inform her of the decision to award the Vita Liberata title to Miss Clare, Hazel McMahon, Katie found out on Facebook that she had been replaced.

Despite the scant consolation that Katie is now first in line to the new Miss Ireland, Rebecca Maguire, and would compete in Miss World should anything happen to Rebecca, the Derry 21-year-old has been distraught all week according to her father, Adrian.

‘Last Saturday night, my daughter had come in third place in Miss Ireland and was also Miss Vita Liberata. We were all delighted. But come Monday, everything just descended into a black hole. This week she should have been celebrating her success but instead she has spent the entire week unwell.

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‘I’m really protective of Katie. She has kept her dignity intact throughout all of this and she hasn’t got involved. She has been very unsettled by all of this.

‘Katie found out about not being the face of Vita Liberata on Facebook. She was on their page on Monday and saw them announcing Miss Clare, Hazel McMahon, as the new face of Vita Liberata. Katie and Hazel are very good friends, so she wishes her nothing but the best but to find out over Facebook was not on. Then she just got a text from the company saying that there had been a mistake,’ Mr McAuley explained.

Katie’s sponsor, Jenny Taggart, said there had been such confusion that she had to cancel a celebratory party last night.

‘I can’t believe the amount of hiccups that have happened at Miss Ireland,’ she said.

Miss Ireland organiser Seán Montague said: ‘This was a separate competition run by Vita Liberata, the tan sponsor, and nothing to do with Miss Ireland.’

But he was able to confirm that Katie has been promoted, thanks to Máire Hughes being deposed.

‘Katie is now runner-up to Rebecca should Rebecca be unable to attend Miss World,’ he confirmed.

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I was stripped of my title too! Chaos reigns as now Miss Derry loses her crown and self-tan contract